Swimming and Diastasis Recti

As a physical therapist that specializes in core rehabilitation, I get a lot of questions about swimming and diastasis recti. Many of our clients were told swimming is one of the many exercises that should be avoided. When I was struggling to heal my own diastasis, I also was told by many physicians that swimming would make diastasis recti worse. I swam competitively for years and to be told I couldn’t, was a little heartbreaking.

Kelly Swimming the 50 Fly after healing diastasis recti

As a PT and a competitive swimmer, I soon realized this is not the case! Swimming naturally elongates your core and allows you to engage the transverse muscle. I’ve healed my core and returned to swimming on a competitive team and not only is my diastasis still closed, but my core is stronger than ever. So this vlog is for all the swimmers out there (not just competitive athletes) who want to swim but are concerned about conflicting information about swimming and diastasis recti.

Swimming should be fine for prolapse as well. The focus should be on understanding how to exhale and elongate your core. Be aware of your symptoms though. If swimming is causing the prolapse to worsen I would bet you are holding your breath and bearing down in some part of your stroke. The great thing about swimming is that it is anti-gravity and naturally elongates you.

Hi! Do you have the same advice on swimming during pregnancy? I healed a previous 4 finger DR. Im now at 24 weeks and 2 fingers wide and wondering if the swimming is causing it to worsen. My breathing is correct and not 100 % sure about my posture. I believed that the benefits outweigh the risks during pregnancy but now Im not sure!

Hi Gemma,
Swimming is likely not causing it to worsen. 2 fingers is pretty common in your second pregnancy. I would recommend our Prenatal Core Training program to work on that core connection and posture/alignment out of the pool though.

Hi!Our daughter,who is nearly four,has Diastasis Recti. We desperately need help because our doctor does not reflect it and in our country it is not common to exercise with children suffering from DR. There are several controversial opinions on this problem and we do not know how to deal with this.
We would like to know if swimming can couse any harm. If not, which swimming style is preferred?
Thank you so much for your answer.

Hi, I am so sorry. We know personally the frustration of not getting clear information about diastasis recti and how to effectively treat it. Everyone has a diastasis when they are born as the abdominal wall separates to allow for the umbilical cord. In most children it naturally closes by 2-4 years. The most common reasons for a DR to remain open past 4 are: chronic constipation with breath holding and bearing down, chronic respiratory issues with coughing, or low muscle tone. Often we look at resolving those issues and the diastasis closes. As far as exercise, you want to encourage normal play for kids, swimming, monkey bars, climbing etc not crunches or exercises that are focusing on collapsed postures or rounded torso. I think swimming is great as it naturally recruits the core and focuses on elongating. But at 4 years old the key is to look at what might be contributing to the DR. We can do an eSession with you to help you problem solve this if you would like.

Thanks for this video — it’s great to get the perspective of a physical therapist with swimming experience.

I am 20 weeks into my first pregnancy and already experiencing a 3 finger wide gap. I was shocked because I am so active and also am avoiding all abdominal crunches. My physical therapist is concerned that swimming on my stomach (i.e., freestyle) will only add weight against my abs and make the stretching worse. However, she admitted she’s not a swimmer. I am sad because I’ve already committed to giving up road biking for the same reason. And swimming during pregnancy has been such a blessing — it’s safe, I don’t overheat, and I come out of the water feeling much more relaxed and mobile than I went in.

But I imagine that 1) being facedown in water is different than leaning over on land, because of the buoyancy of water, and 2) if I properly engage my core I should be able to continue.

You mention engaging our core when you exhale; are you also engaging it as you breath in, or are you letting your tummy naturally expand?

Had a quick question that I can’t find the answer to: so I know how to activate my TVA and have been exercising that muscle for awhile now but I notice that when I stand in water (like a pool) and I draw in my TVA, my belly still feels soft. If I get out of the water and draw it in it’s hard. Is that normal? Or could I be doing it wrong all this time?

Had a full DR with a 3 finger span at the center. Would “running” upright in the pool worsen the DR or help the TVA muscles to tone?
A different way to approach the same question: If swimming (face down/up) elongates and activates TVA. Can upright walking/running motions in the pool assist in healing, or, hinder progress?

Actually upright water running can be great for core work as the natural water resistance requires you to activate your core. I think the multi-tasking of the core with the resistance will assist the healing process as long as you keep neutral pelvis/rib cage as the focus and resist the temptation to hold your breath or brace your tummy. Be intentional and it would be a great addition to your healing process.

[…] swimming, but how tight your chest muscles and your shoulder range of motion. We have an entire video blog for swimmers out there concerned about negatively impacting their healing. With diastasis recti […]

[…] swimming, but how tight your chest muscles and your shoulder range of motion. We have an entire video blog for swimmers out there concerned about negatively impacting their healing. With diastasis recti […]

When I swim doing the breast stroke, I keep my head completely out of the water – am I still ok to swim with diastesis recti or does your advice regarding Breast stroke only apply if you lift your head in and out of the water?

If you keep your head out of the water for the entire stroke really make sure you are keeping your chin tucked a bit so you don’t hyperextend your neck and therefore flare your ribs. Otherwise, yes the advice is the same. Keep your ribs knitted together to be sure you are keeping your core in the best alignment.

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